


Sent Me a Clear Message Taught Me Some Hard Lessons

by DogsAreTheBest312



Series: I Promise That You'll Never Find Another Like Me [1]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Established Relationship, F/M, Past Abuse, Past Relationship(s), Post-Episode AU: s02e13 Doomsday
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-02-23 00:23:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23969398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DogsAreTheBest312/pseuds/DogsAreTheBest312
Summary: Rose and The Doctor encounter a ghost from her past. Que overprotective Doctor mode.I forgot that youSent me a clear messageTaught me some hard lessonsI just forget what they wereIt's all just a blur
Relationships: Jimmy Stone/Rose Tyler (past), Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler
Series: I Promise That You'll Never Find Another Like Me [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1732978
Comments: 8
Kudos: 66





	Sent Me a Clear Message Taught Me Some Hard Lessons

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all! First of all, I want to say that I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy during this difficult time.
> 
> This is the first of 18 one-shots inspired by the songs on Taylor Swift’s album _Lover._ This is NOT a songfic, though I highly recommend listening to the song before reading, and not just because I’m a long time Taylor fan. It really sets the mood for the fic.
> 
> I had this one all planned out, then like halfway through writing it I got a different idea and went with that instead. Keeping the original plan in my drafts folder though. It was still a good idea, it’s just a little too dark for this song and what I feel this story should be.
> 
> Please note that I’m not from the UK, so I’m not really familiar with the slang. I’m trying my best though! Please let me know if I’ve gotten anything wrong. Pretty much all of my knowledge of British slang comes from Doctor Who, Harry Potter, and fanfics of the two.
> 
> Ok, enough of my rambling, I’m almost as bad as Ten (seriously, this note is ½ a page long).
> 
> This is set in some generic AU where “Doomsday” ends differently, with everyone, including Pete, remaining in the original universe. It’s set between “Journey’s End” and “The End of Time.”
> 
> Song of the fic: [“I Forgot That You Existed” by Taylor Swift](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1cEvNn88jM)

The Doctor and Rose were walking down the street towards her parents’ flat. They had made a run to the 32nd century when Jackie realized that she was missing a few (genetically unburnable) things for dinner. Despite her early reservations, Jackie had become quite receptive to the many benefits of having a time traveling alien as a son-in-law, particularly those involving shopping, spas, and unlimited credit sticks. She still didn’t like it when the TARDIS was parked in her living room, though. Hence the walking. They were about to enter the apartment building when a voice stopped them.

“So, this is the famous doctor everyone’s been going on about.”

At the sound of his name, The Doctor turned around. The man who had spoken was leaning against the corner of a building, smoking a cigarette. His features weren’t really memerable, though The Doctor thought he was somewhat familiar. The man must be one of the many that Rose knew from the Powell Estate. He was about to smile and introduce himself when he felt Rose stiffen at his side. At the same time, he felt her emotions over their marriage bond: a mixture of shock, anger, and small amount of fear. It was the last one that caused The Doctor’s expression to shift from one of friendliness to fury. Anyone who made Rose afraid was automatically a threat. He felt a small amount of satisfaction at the slight recoil the man made when faced with The Oncoming Storm. Before The Doctor could open his mouth, however, his wife put a hand on his arm and turned to the man.

“Hello, Jimmy.” Those two words, spoken with almost no emotion, reminded The Doctor of where he had seen this man before. Well not ‘seen’ in the traditional sense. Rather, he recognized the man from Rose’s memories, which she had shared with him one night after a particularly bad nightmare. The Doctor’s expression became, if possible, even darker.

This is the ape who touched His Rose. The one who hurt her. Who’d stolen from her and left her evicted and hundreds of pounds in debt. Within seconds, a thousand different scenarios flashed through his mind, each one ending in a worse situation for Stone. The Doctor was pulled from plan 1,278 (leave him on Orina, where domestic violence was considered the highest crime) when Rose started walking into the apartment building, dragging him with her.

“You wanna catch up later? If not now, whenever your so-called husband is done with you. If you ask me, it’ll be the age difference. No one wants to be a cradle robber forever. Hey, don’t walk away from me. I wasn’t done talking to you.” Rose whipped around so quickly The Doctor was surprised she didn’t get whiplash.

“Sod off, Jimmy. Whatever you thought we had was gone the moment you laid your hand on me. And now that you see me happily married to someone else, you’ve realized what you lost. You saw us coming past and thought that you could goad us today, maybe get me to leave him. But you can’t, that’s never gonna happen.

“You’re nothing but a dirty rotten bastard, Jimmy Stone. I don’t know why you’re here now, but if you ever see The Doctor or me again you better run the other way. Because I won’t speak for him, but I know I won’t be so nice to you the next time I see you. Goodbye.” Rose turned around and walked into her parents’ apartment building, and this time Jimmy didn’t call after her.

The Doctor silently followed her in the building and onto the lift. He was about to say something, but the look on his wife’s face stopped him. It was the look that she made when she was trying to hide her emotions, even though decades of marriage would’ve made that impossible even without the bond. But like he’d learned to do, The Doctor let it go for the moment. Rose would talk to him later, when she was ready to. She always did. Sometimes “later” took hours, days, or weeks. But it always happened.

This time, “later” turned out to be 5 hours, 32 minutes, and 45 seconds. After they walked through her parents’ door to see their daughter covered in flour while laughing with her grandmother. After dinner, throughout which they had joked around with Jackie, Pete, Tony, and Jenny (Rose didn’t bring up Jimmy, so neither did The Doctor). After sitting around watching telly, Pete comparing their version of _East Enders_ to the slightly different one in the alternate universe. After saying goodbye, Jackie, Pete, and Tony saying ‘see you in a few days’ while Rose, The Doctor, and Jenny said ‘see you in a few months.’ After the three of them sent the TARDIS into the vortex together, off on their next adventure. After Jenny went to bed, wishing her parents goodnight. After The Doctor and Rose went to their own room and got ready for bed.

Even though The Doctor didn’t sleep much, he always spent the night with Rose, usually reading while she slept. Right now, though, he simply held her as she cuddled into his side. Through their bond he could tell that her thoughts were drifting back to Jimmy Stone. The Doctor stayed silent, knowing that Rose would speak up when she had her thoughts together. He didn’t have to wait long.

“I have no clue why he was there. He certainly wasn’t told that the two of us were going to be visiting Mum and Dad. He wouldn’t even have been told where they moved to. And if he’d come around the estate he would’ve been chased away by Bev or Shareen. But that doesn’t really matter.

“You know, that was the first time that I saw him since the day he walked out and stole all my money. I never saw him after that. I heard from friends that he ended up in and out of jail several times, but I changed my number and he never attempted to contact me. I used to be afraid that he would find me one day, make me take him back or worse. I kept reminding myself of him, because I was afraid that the second I forgot about him he would be back. But then I met you.

“I didn’t realize it, but from day one you helped me move on from him. I realized that I didn’t have to live the rest of my life in fear of Jimmy Stone. Not only because I trusted that you would protect me but also because I trusteed myself. I trusted myself to be able to stand up to him.”

As always, The Doctor was amazed at the amount of faith his precious girl put in him. Decades of marriage did nothing to make him believe that he ever would deserve her, not that he would ever stop trying.

“To be honest, Doctor, it took me a moment to recognize him. I haven’t thought about him in years, decades. Really, since you wore that leather jacket. It became nearly impossible that I would run into him, so I stopped worrying that I would. He became a memory in the back of my mind that eventually got forgotten.

“I don’t hate him. I really don’t. But I’ll never forgive him for what he did. But the thought of him no longer brings pain. If anything, I’m indifferent to him. He can live his life however he wants, as long as it no longer involves me. I’ve got everything I want and need.” With a smile, Rose pulled her husband in for a kiss, and the two of them settled down for the night.

While The Doctor still very much wanted to throw Jimmy Stone in a black hole, he knew that Rose would be upset if he did. And while The Doctor would neither forgive nor forget what Jimmy did, for Rose’s sake he would ignore it as long as the man stayed away from their family.

And as terrible as it might sound, he almost owed Jimmy Stone a debt. If not for his actions, Rose would never have been working at Henrik’s. She never would’ve met him, and he never would’ve found the happiness that is having Rose in his life. He still couldn’t believe his luck. Holding his sleeping wife close to him, The Doctor picked up his book and settled in for the next few hours.

The Doctor and Rose Tyler with their daughter. In the TARDIS. As it should be.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, welcome to the end notes, where I give my thoughts on the song!
> 
> I stayed up until midnight the night before this album dropped, then played it in order. When I listened to this song, I immediately loved it. I went through some pretty intense bullying in middle school. It ended before high school, but this song reminds me of how I think of that part of my life. Yes, the hard times are difficult when you’re in them, but you come out the other side a stronger person. You learn from what happened and go forward from there.


End file.
